Liverpool v Villarreal: Prediction, team news, lineups and odds

2026-10-19 · Football365

All the team news and predictions ahead of the Champions League clash between Liverpool and Villarreal.

Liverpool will look to maintain their perfect start to the 2026/27 Champions League campaign when they host Villarreal at Anfield.

The Reds have already beaten Atletico Madrid and LASK, while Villarreal lost 3-2 away to Borussia Dortmund before securing a 3-1 win at home to Napoli.

They have only previously clashed in semi-finals, with Liverpool coming out on top in the Europa League in 2016 and the Champions League in 2022.

Liverpool v Villarreal kick-off time

Liverpool v Villarreal kicks off at 8pm BST on Tuesday, October 20 at Anfield.

Liverpool v Villarreal how to watch

The game will be shown live in the UK via Amazon Prime, with coverage starting from 6.30pm.

Liverpool team news

Having missed the previous two games with a hamstring injury, Dominik Szoboszlai returned to the starting line-up against Brentford last weekend but lasted just 32 minutes before suffering a recurrence of the same issue.

He was replaced by Trey Nyoni, but Ryan Gravenberch should take his place in midfield against Villarreal after missing the 2-1 win over the Bees through suspension.

Jeremie Frimpong was brought on at half-time at the Gtech Community Stadium but also picked up a hamstring injury, and the pair are now set to spend a few weeks on the sidelines.

Conor Bradley is still working his way back from a long-term knee issue, so either Ronald Araujo or Joe Gomez will fill in at right-back.

Alexander Isak marked his return from injury by netting the winner against Brentford, but may not be risked from the start here.

Cody Gakpo could come into the side after recovering from an ankle injury, with Konstantinos Tsimikas, Rio Ngumoha and Lewis Koumas also pushing for starts.

Giovanni Leoni and Hugo Ekitike remain long-term absentees, while Wataru Endo and Federico Chiesa weren’t named in Liverpool’s Champions League squad.

Villarreal team news

Former Liverpool goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi missed Villarreal’s 3-1 win over Napoli after being held at gunpoint during an armed robbery.

But the 36-year-old was back between the sticks for the 0-0 draw with Elche at the weekend and is expected to start on his return to Anfield.

The first-choice back four of Santiago Mourino, Renato Veiga, Pau Navarro and Carlos Romero were all rested against Elche and should return to the starting line-up at Anfield.

Nathan Saliba, Pape Gueye and Georges Mikautadze are also set to reclaim their place in the team after coming off the bench at the weekend.

Former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe remains sidelined after undergoing eye surgery, but Tajon Buchanan has now recovered from a hamstring injury and is back in training.

Liverpool v Villarreal odds

Liverpool are 4/7 to win the game and make it nine points out of nine in the league phase.

Villarreal are 5/1 to record a surprise away victory, while The Draw is 19/5.

In the outright betting, Liverpool are 20/1 seventh favourites to win the Champions League this season.

Liverpool v Villarreal prediction

Following the 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid on matchday one, Liverpool have now won 15 of their last 16 Champions League group stage or league phase matches at Anfield.

The Reds have also won their last five Champions League games against Spanish sides, while Villarreal have never beaten English opposition in this competition (D6 L10).

The Yellow Submarine struggle on their travels and have lost their last six away games in the Champions League, including a 2-0 defeat at Anfield in April 2022.

Even if Andoni Iraola decides to make a few changes to the starting line-up, Liverpool should still be strong enough to secure all three points here.

But the Reds went behind against Atletico and conceded three in the nine-goal thriller with LASK, while Villarreal have netted five goals across their opening two games in the Champions League this season.

That leads us to back a Liverpool win and Both Teams to Score at 7/4. A 2-1 win for the hosts is available at 18/1.

Florian Wirtz has faced a lot of criticism since arriving at Anfield last summer but comes into this game after registering an assist in back-to-back Liverpool games for the first time.

His recent assist in the 6-3 win over LASK also means he has five assists in 13 Champions League appearances for the Reds.

The Germany international is 11/4 to set up a goal for the third game in a row.

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